For those of you with a “Bucket List”, scratch off: Being Kidnapped By Aliens. It’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. For starters, there’s a massive language barrier. There was that anal probe thing. Twice. I don’t share their obsession with Barry Manilow. They don’t drink coffee. But the deal breaker — and the reason I finally had to say “adios” — was THEY DON”T LIKE BACON. Shocking.

The whole time I’m hanging with these guys, all I could think about was a warm bacon and sun dried tomato scone and a hot cup of coffee. Needless to say, when the opportunity presented itself — the death ray was down for maintenance — I “requisitioned” an escape pod and flew the coup. It’s good to be back.

In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, basil, oregano, and garlic salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in chopped tomatoes and bacon. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside. In small bowl combine sour cream, eggs, and milk; add all at once to flour mixture. Stir with a fork just until moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough gently 10 to 12 strokes or until dough holds together. Divide in half. Pat or lightly roll each dough half to a 7-inch circle. Cut each circle in 8 wedges.

Place wedges 2 inches apart on a large baking sheet, no grease. Bake for 5 minutes. Sprinkle tops of scones with cheese. Bake 7 to 8 minutes more or until tops are lightly browned. Serve warm.

When the recipe calls for crumbled bacon, I use kitchen shears and cut the bacon into 1/2” to 3/4″ chunks, tossing the bacon in a wok over low heat. I find it more efficient than using a skillet or baking sheet, but that’s just me.

For the dry ingredients, I found using a whisk achieved the result I was looking for, and made adding the butter a snap.

When thoroughly mixed, knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until the dough holds together. Form into a 7″ round, and cut into 8 sections. If you’re going for Starbucks sized scones, cut in 3 sections…

Transfer to a baking sheet — I used a silicone liner — and then into the preheated oven. After 5 minutes or so, remove from the oven and add shredded mozzarella over the top, returning to the oven to finish.

10 minutes more, and you’re finished! Let the scones cool a bit, and enjoy with a nice cup of coffee!

Tasty! Sun dried tomatoes always seem to add an air of refinement to a recipe, and it’s certainly the case here. The bacon flavor dominates, though, and that’s what we’re after. Had the aliens offered me coffee and one of these scones, I might have been able to see past the Barry Manilow fascination. Wasn’t going to happen…bless their hearts, they do not know what they’re missing!